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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22375501">A Walk in Winter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mttproductions/pseuds/Mttproductions'>Mttproductions</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dominic Wilde, Local Distortion Lover [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Magnus Archives (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Developing Relationship, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Knitting, M/M, Mention of Death, Other, Presents, Slow Romance, Winter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 14:21:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,724</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22375501</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mttproductions/pseuds/Mttproductions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dominic gives Michael a gift, then take him for a walk outside.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Michael/Original Male Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dominic Wilde, Local Distortion Lover [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603696</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Walk in Winter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The first tma fic i ever wrote back in like september last year. Takes place at like the very beginning of season 3.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
  <span>Dominic was nervous. He was also extremely excited, but still nervous nonetheless. He had been planning this night since the beginning of the week when he saw what the weather was going to be like on Saturday, and now that it was here he had started to feel some trepidation. Not because he didn’t want to—of course he wanted to—he was only afraid Michael wouldn’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Michael was...complicated. Dominic knew logically that he was bad news. Everything he read in statements, heard from the others, and even in a way saw for himself told him that Michael was a dangerous entity to be around. Yet still, Dominic had fallen for him. Fallen </span>
  <em>
    <span>hard.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He craved to be with him all the time; and in a way, Michael seemed to enjoy his presence as well. Dominic’s logical side knew Michael probably only tolerated and indulged Dominic because he found him entertaining or amusing in someway; but even still, Dominic’s hopeful side thought perhaps there was a spot somewhere in the entity’s ineffable mind that could feel love. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t long until The Spiral began to bind itself to Dominic. The Beholding had it’s grips on him first, of course, considering he worked in the Magnus Institute, but The Spiral’s incalculable presence had begun to push out the other power over him. Dominic found himself inexplicably drawn to anything strange, distorted, and confusing. His art he made in his free time had turned chaotic and incomprehensible. He found himself scouring ebay at night, looking for fractal patterned things. He had saved like, so many deep fried memes on his phone. He told himself many of those things were to show Michael, to impress him and please him, but Dominic knew in the back of his mind not all of his new behavior was from his attraction to Michael. He was still human, however. He was (pretty) sure of that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dominic looked himself over in the bathroom mirror, brushing a hand through his messy hair in an attempt to look at least a little presentable. It was impossible to tame his curls, though, so he pretended to rock the messy look. He examined his face in the mirror for a few more moments before he went back out to the main room of his apartment. He went over to his chair in the living room, where a mess of knitting supplies currently sat. Laying on his chair was the scarf he had finished just earlier. He had been working on it in his spare time for the whole month, though now that he was to finally give it to Michael he felt nervous. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Would he not like it?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dominic thought nervously. He shook his head that </span>
  <em>
    <span>no, of course he’d like it</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and then Dominic grabbed the scarf and walked into his bedroom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Being able to contact Michael was something Dominic worried about early on. He wanted to be able to see Michael when </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> wanted or needed to, not just when Michael decided to show up. So, in order to give Dominic a way to contact Michael when he wasn’t around, Michael had created an extra door in Dominic’s room in case of contact. Dominic had never actually gone in it; at least, not yet. He had no idea what could be on the other side; he didn’t necessarily want to find out either. He knew that trapping people in his corridors was Michael’s way of ‘feeding’, and even if Dominic loved him, he didn’t want to put himself in any more danger than he already was. If Michael asked him, though… he wasn’t sure he’d refuse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dominic approached the extra door that sat on the right wall of his room. He took a moment to take a deep breath, then he knocked on the door thrice before turning and going back to sit on his bed. He eyed the scarf for a moment, before he set it behind him to hide it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Everyone loves surprises,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dominic thought to himself. Dominic’s breath felt empty as he waited; as if there wasn’t any oxygen in the room at all. This was the part he hated the most; his anxiety raced when he knew Michael was coming but he hadn’t shown up yet. But then, in the blink of an eye, he wasn’t waiting anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dominic,” Michael’s soft voice crooned. He was standing in front of the door, which closed behind him with a click. He was in his human form, though his hands were closer to his normal form, going down to his knees and his fingers ending in sharp points. Upon seeing him, all the anxiety that was in Dominic melted immediately and he couldn’t help but grin back at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Michael,” Dominic replied softly, his voice full of fondness he didn’t even try to disguise. “You aren’t busy, are you?” Dominic asked, blushing. Perhaps he should of made sure of that beforehand. If he were, they wouldn’t be able to go through with his plan. Michael chuckled, and while most people would feel disturbed by the distorted sound, Dominic’s heart fluttered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would I have come if I were?” Michael responded, face contorted in amusement. Dominic blushed harder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I, uhm, I suppose not,” Dominic said awkwardly. “But, uhm, that’s good! I wanted to do something with you—but, uh, first, I have something for you,” Dominic smiled nervously and stood up, holding the scarf behind his back. He walked forwards to Michael, and then with a little ‘tada!’ He showed Michael the scarf. “It’s...a fractal scarf. I found the pattern for it online, so...I made one for you.” Dominic watched Michael anxiously, trying to gauge his reaction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Michael laughed. It was loud and boisterous, almost scaring Dominic from it’s contrast to Michael’s usual soft laugh. The distortion of it seemed to increase too, and Dominics ears rang for a second or two. Michael kept laughing tho, his eyes crinkling up in delight. Dominic watched as Michael’s form changed, his hands changing fully into his human form. His laugh slowed and quieted to just a chuckle as he took the scarf, his fingers just lightly brushing against Dominic’s, which made him blush. He had long since gotten used to the strange feeling of Michael’s “skin”, and had begun to love the bizarre tingling the contact caused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Michael lifted the scarf to his face and pressed it to his cheek, seeming to take a moment to enjoy the softness of the yarn, before lowering his hands and looking into Dominic’s eyes under hooded lids. He had stopped laughing at that point, and now wore a soft smile Dominic could only describe as one of fondness. Dominic knew logically it couldn’t have been, but Michael seemed to be looking at Dominic with love in his eyes. Dominic’s breath caught in his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Michael practically purred, and Dominic swore he could have melted from the warmth of Michael’s smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome,” Dominic replied, voice barely above a whisper from it getting stuck in his throat. He had to take a moment to look away, unable to handle Michael’s gaze without crumbling. “I thought it would, uhm, fit for what I planned. I thought it’d be nice to go for a walk tonight, because outside it’s, well, uhm—I just thought you’d like the weather,” Dominic stammered. He looked back at Michael, taking a second to grab the scarf Michael still held, and he threw it over Michael’s head, wrapping it around his neck while Michael grabbed hold of his hair and pulled it out of the way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would I like the weather?” Michael asked, his eyebrow raising in questioning amusement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, come...come see for yourself,” Dominic said, and then grabbed hold of Michael’s hand, leading him out of his bedroom. He stopped for a second to grab his coat off the back of his kitchen chair and put it on, then he glanced back at Michael with quiet excitement as he walked out the front door, tempting Michael to follow. Dominic lead him down the stairs and through the apartment building, before finally reaching the front door. Dominic gave one last glance back at Michael before he pulled the door open, walking outside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was snowing. Dominic looked up at the sky with a grin, admiring the snow drifting down from the sky, some landing on his face and melting immediately. Dominic turned back around to look excitedly at Michael. He had his hand held out, his eyes watching the snowflakes fall into his hand before going up to look at the sky. Michael had an expression of wonderment, and soon he was laughing again. He dropped his hand and glanced back down at Dominic, continuing to laugh gleefully. The disharmonious sound was music to Dominic’s ears. He opened his mouth to say something to the giggling man, but before anything could come out, Michael was on him, wrapping his arms around the smaller man and hoisting him into the air. He swung him around while continuing his distorted chuckling, and Dominic’s body tingled from being pressed against the entity’s body. Dominic loved it, though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dominic began to laugh too, joy filling his entire being. His arms wrapped around Michael’s neck, finding purchase in Michael’s thick mane of curly blond hair. He pressed his face against Michael’s, their foreheads together as they both laughed and spun around. Dominic didn’t even notice the static-y feeling in his forehead, as if it had somehow fallen asleep. He was only focused on Michael; The Distortion, the entity he somehow began to love. He couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with the love he had for him. He felt like he could be like that forever; twirling around in a spiral with Michael, but he knew that eventually all good things had to come to an end. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Michael and Dominic’s laughter died down and Michael stopped his spinning, a spiral of footsteps left behind in the snowy sidewalk below them. Michael gently set Dominic back down onto his feet, but Dominic didn’t separate. He kept his arms wrapped around Michael’s neck, making it so he was bending down. Dominic closed his eyes tight and breathed in deeply, taking a second to commit the moment to his memory.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I love you, Michael, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Dominic wanted to say. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I adore you, Michael. I’d do anything for you, Michael. My Distortion. My Michael. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But he stayed quiet. He knew why he couldn’t. To admit it like that so openly was to accept it and acknowledge it, not to mention what Michael would actually say in response. He didn’t want to acknowledge that Michael couldn’t love him back. He finally opened his eyes and then let go of Michael, backing up and allowing him to straighten back up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know me too well. You’re such a good pet,” Michael purred softly, and Dominic looked down at his feet as he blushed. He knew that technically Michael was talking down to him, but Dominic didn’t much mind. He pleased Michael, and that was good enough for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dominic moved to be beside Michael and then he reached down and brushed his fingers against Michael’s hand, letting him reach back and connect their hands. They started walking down the street and Dominic smiled softly, enjoying the beauty of the night and of Michael. They walked like that for awhile, simply holding hands and watching the snowflakes fall, until finally Dominic broke the silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Michael? Can I ask you something?” Dominic asked, a twinge of nervousness in his voice. There had been things on his mind lately that he wanted answers for, but he was worried about what Michael might think about them; let alone what the actual answers could be. Michael looked down at Dominic and raised an eyebrow. Dominic didn’t know how, but the way he did it seemed unnatural. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t promise you an answer, but you can try,” Michael responded. Dominic huffed almost imperceptibly, and thought to himself for a moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s...do you know what’s going to happen?” Dominic’s eyebrows contorted in a worried expression. So much had happened at the institute in the last month. With the whole murder catastrophy and Jon missing, Dominic had a lot of anxiety about the future. It felt like something even worse was to come, but he didn’t know what. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t see the future,” Michael returned, almost confusion on his face. Dominic shook his head in frustration. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not what I mean. It’s with everything going on at the Institute right now,” Dominic used his free hand to make a big gesture in the air. “Some table was broken, and you were there, and a random old dude was dead in Jon’s office, and now Jon is gone, and this weird police lady came in and drilled us all the other day, and…” Dominic trailed off, looking down in embarrassment. “Michael, I don’t know what’s going to happen anymore. I’m...scared.” Dominic kept his eyes on the ground, feeling too anxious to see what kind of look Michael had on his face. “Just...will we be safe?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Michael was quiet for a moment as he calculated, and then said, “A human could not destroy me. Perhaps this form, but I am too powerful for anything as small as a human to damage. You, however, are mortal. You are very easily damaged; all weak mushy flesh. You could die at any point.” Dominic cringed, the entity’s words only serving to worsen his anxiety.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Dominic responded crossly, his brows furrowing. Michael watched him with interest, a thoughtful look on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you implying if something were to happen in the future, would I keep you safe?” Michael asked curiously. Dominic’s breath hitched and his eyes widened. He didn’t realize it at first, but in a way, he had wondered that. Did his devotion to Michael actually matter to him? Or could Dominic disappear without a trace and Michael wouldn’t even notice? Dominic swallowed hard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I...I guess I am,” Dominic replied softly. His eyes finally trailed back up to Michael, who was looking at him with intensity, curiosity obvious on his face. Suddenly, Michael stopped walking, making Dominic stumble as he tried to stop himself as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you become an avatar of It-is-not-what-it-is, devoting yourself to serving us, then yes, I will protect you,” Michael said seriously. Dominic felt like he had all the breath stripped from his lungs. Michael had spoken briefly before about avatars, followers of a Power who were once human but crossed the threshold of devotion into becoming almost monsters themselves. Dominic felt like the world had started spinning around him. Give up his humanity and fully become a pupil of The Spiral?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I will,” He found himself saying immediately. Michael smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but Dominic continued. “But...not tonight. Not right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Michael’s grin lowered to a soft smile, and the unnatural expression still made Dominic’s stomach fill with butterflies. “Alright,” he said contently. Dominic flushed and looked away, unable to handle Michael’s happy face without gushing. “I will give you time, but eventually you’ll join us,” Michael’s soft voice seemed enchanting, and Dominic’s logical side retreated as he simply stared at Michael with adoration.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dominic took a moment to check the time on his phone and he noticed how late it was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should probably go back now,” Dominic started. “It’s late—I do need sleep to function.” Michael chuckled. Dominic looked curiously at Michael’s too-wide grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Want to take a shortcut?” Michael asked, and when Dominic turned back in front of them, a yellow door with a dark handle stood in front of them. Dominic looked nervously at the door. He knew that if Michael had decided to trick him, that door could lead to his demise. Still, his love drunk heart couldn’t help but trust him. After all, if he were going to become an avatar eventually, why would Michael bother to trick him? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dominic walked forwards to the door and set his hand down upon the handle. Despite the cold around him, the door handle felt warm under his touch. Dominic took one look back at Michael, who was giving an encouraging expression, and then he turned back, twisted the handle, and stepped inside. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The fractal scarf is an actual real scarf pattern I saw online ( https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dragon-curve-fractal-scarf ) I bought the pattern and tried to make it, but turns out my knitting isn’t as good as I’d thought lol</p></blockquote></div></div>
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